A Bullet Through Water
by iamCAMBRIA
Summary: Her father was a fisherman. Her mother a spy. She's an author. She needs to be careful; her mum had taught her that. But when she finds a merman stranded on her beach, Bella Baggins begins to realize that helping strangers, who are merfolk, might not be the smartest thing for a Baggins with a red history to do. *MODERN AU/MERMAID STYLE*
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All I own is...never mind.  
The cover image is not even mine, asparklethatisblue from Tumblr drew it... they inspired me to write this story.**_

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**A Bullet Through Water**

**By: iamCAMBRIA**

**Chapter 1: Turn Your Back on Mother Nature**

The rain pattered on the window pane, and thunder rumbled furiously outside. Bella Baggins looked up from her writing briefly to look out the window before returning to her computer screen. The page was blank and no words flowed from her mind, to the keyboard, to the screen itself. Quite frankly she was in a writer's slump. Writer's block. Something that gave any author the shivers.

"Oh for the love of God," she murmured, rubbing her face with her hands.

_Nothing_ was coming to mind. She was having a very hard time relating anything for her writing. There was absolutely no inspiration coming to mind. With an exasperated exhaled, she smashed her head against the desk.

"Ow…" Bella groaned, but made no move to pick her head up.

Her cousin Drogo often made fun of her occupation saying that she made easy thousands for doing nothing but dreaming of fairy land. Of course he was wrong, because in times like these, Bella found her occupation very tedious, painful, and downright boring. Because she wanted to write—she really did. But she simply couldn't put her ideas to words.

There was a soft roll of thunder and then the rain pounding increased.

Lifting her head, it seemed that the thunderstorm was passing. The sky was now a light grey and tiny bits of sun peeked from behind the clouds. The only thing left was the rain. And through the curtain of sting pellets, the beach front was easily seen.

Bella smiled. Getting up, she slipped her hoodie off so that she was only wearing her t-shirt and sport shorts. Quickly, she jogged out of her room and to the front door of her beach house. With a quick inhale of anxiety, she threw the door open and slammed it shut as she went outside. Immediately the rain poured on her as if someone had dropped a bucket of water. She giggled, and began to run onto the sand of the shore. She stayed well away from the water though. Despite her ability to swim, Bella was still morbidly afraid of the water. Whenever she looked upon the water, she couldn't help but fear of what creatures besides sharks lurked in the deep.

So then one of her many relatives—mainly her insufferable cousin Lobelia—would ask why on earth was she living in a beach house that was obviously located on the sea shore. The answer was simple, this was her parent's house. Bella Baggins had a strong fidelity for her parents and selling the house that her father had specifically constructed for her mother, seemed like something akin to sacrilegious. Especially when her father hadn't been well off financially. But with careful planning, he was able to make the house on the shore that her mother loved so much.

So, she could suppress her fear of the ocean for her parents love. Well didn't that sound cliché? No matter.

Bella walked out, the sand sticking to her feet like earth-mud. But she didn't mind. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and opened her arms wide. She welcomed the downpour. In light that she did have a fear of the ocean, she loved the rain. Going out during a rainstorm was a sure fire way to get some inspiration. With a giggle, feeling like a silly school girl, she spun in circles. She even stuck her tongue out for fat little droplets to land on.

Yes it was times like these that she was able to forget what was important. Such as meeting her editor's quota by the end of the week. Or paying her electric bills. Or getting her stolen silverware back from that insufferable Lobelia.

"Help!"

Bella's eyes shot open. Through the thick sheet of rain, she found that she suddenly couldn't see much except for her boat and dock to the left. She turned to the right and didn't see anything either.

"Help me, please!" cried the same voice.

"Hullo?" She called out, her British accent lilting with concern. "Who's there? Where are you?"

There was a yell of pain.

Bella panicked quick. She turned in circles frantically looking for the source of the voice.

"Where are you?" She shouted over the pouring rain.

And then, she saw movement. There under the dock was a _something_ kicking up a lot of sand and forcing it the fly in all directions. She figured that must be the person.

"Somebody help me!"

Wasting no time Bella ran towards the dock, the wet sand slowing her a bit. Not minding that, she fingered the pocket of her shorts, making sure that her mother's penknife was there. One could never be too sure. As she got to the dock, she could see a rather sound fishing net moving about in circles. Then, as she approached even closer, she saw that a man was trapped in the fishing snare.

"Oh good God!" She shouted in surprise, before rushing even closer. "Hey, hey stop moving! You'll hurt yourself more! What in the world were you doing swimming in that thunderstorm?"

The man immediately stopped moving. She slid to the net, her knees in the sand. And then she stopped. From the torso up, the man looked normal—with slightly curling, shoulder length, dark brown hair held back with a metal clip. He had a small stubble and smooth facial features. The only thing not normal about him was that he had bright amber eyes. And then of course there was one other tiny fact.

From his hips and groin down was a rather long, and impressively strong looking fin instead of legs.

Bella screamed, falling forward accidently into the net. She then found her hands stuck between the cords. She looked back at the man, or merman, who went back to thrashing wildly as she got caught as well.

"Wait, wait, please!" She panicked, her hands getting twisted and the ropes burning painfully.

The man didn't seem to hear her over his grunting and struggles.

"Please stop!" She yelled, "You're hurting me!"

The man looked at her again, eyes wide. He mumbled something. Was it an apology?

Bella shook violently, but manage to free her wrists, ignoring the fact that both were bleeding.

"I'm going to cut you loose, but you have to hold still. Alright?" She whispered, too shocked to pay attention to what he really was. All that mattered at the current moment was that he was hurt. And so was she.

The man nodded.

Bella reached into her pocket and took out her penknife. The little silver thing vibrated as water fell from beneath the cracks of the dock wood. Her lips quivering, she began to saw into the ropes of the net. The merman stayed still throughout the entire procedure. When she got close to where his body was ensnared, she looked at him hesitantly.

He spoke.

"I won't hurt you." He whimpered.

Biting her lip and forcing herself not to recoil, Bella nodded. She had surely seen scarier things than this merman? Especially with her mother's espionages. She worked around him, mindful of his skin—which covered a body of musculature—and his fin. The fin itself was having a hard time staying because it shook rigidly and the girl couldn't help but wonder what would happen to her if it hit her. Shaking the thought she focused and the cords. Surprised to see that the scales next to the dull brown rope were a dark navy. They were actually pretty, for there were also silver dapples here and there.

Finally the rope fell away and Bella shuffled back with fright. Everything hit her like a wrecking ball, shattering her ideals of reality. She stared as the merman carefully drew back the nets and untangled himself from the pieces.

"Oh Christ…" She mumbled.

The merman looked at her, his amber eyes soft. "Thank you."

She nodded her lips numb.

"Um…" He stuttered. "You landwalkers aren't supposed to know I exist okay?"

"_Landwalkers?"_ She demanded, a bit shakily.

"Humans."

"Ah."

She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She rocked back and forth. But she never took her eyes off of the strange creature. And then suddenly, using his forearms, he began to drag himself towards her.

Bella panicked again, she shuffled away in the sand. "No, don't!"

"I won't hurt you." He promised, as he got close to her.

He reached out and grabbed one of her arms. She tried to pull away, but his strong grip held her firm. He turned her hand over so he could look at her wrist. He sighed and then looked back up at her, but not releasing his hold.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…I didn't think you would get your hands stuck."

She chuckled nervously. "Don't worry about it Mr. Merman, all is forgiven if you let go of me."

The merman's cheeks blushed bright red before he dropped her arm.

"Sorry." He muttered sheepishly.

It was then that she realized that this creature more than likely did not mean her any harm.

"S'alright." She said, before asking, "Do you have a name?"

The merman grinned. "Kíli, at your service."

Polite manners, well there was a point for the merman.

"And Bella Baggins at yours." She said, a wry smile on her face.

"Thank you again for freeing me." He said before scooting back.

And Bella suddenly found herself wanting to know more about him. Stupid writer's curiosity. "Wait, where are you going?"

"I have to! My brother's gonna kill me! He told me not to go out in the thunderstorm 'cause the winds kick up a bunch of debris in the water…and I didn't listen!" He protested, moving closer to the water.

"You have a brother?" She marveled.

Kíli facepalmed. "Ah, forget I mention that."

"There are more…?"

"Merfolk…ah stupid, stupid." He chastised himself. "Don't…just forget this all happened alright?"

Bella laughed. "I'm pretty convinced I'm dreaming right now."

"Better off that way." Kíli allowed the chuckle. "Well, good bye Ms. Boggins."

And then with a graceful turn around he pulled himself into the shore water. After a bit of flopping on his tail's part, he launched himself into the water. With a jump that reminded her of a dolphin's, Kíli disappeared into the water with a slap of his navy blue tail.

"Whoa." Bella gasped. She got up and looked at the water. And then with wide eyes, she turned around and walked calmly back to her house. She entered and closed the door behind her quietly. With a sigh, she looked up at the roof.

She met a merman.

Bella Baggins then began running around her house screaming, trying to wake herself up.

§

"Ms. Boggins!"

Bella groaned.

"Ms. Boggins are you home?"

Sleepily, the girl opened her eyes and looked up at her bedroom window. Another sandball hit the glass.

"Ms. Boggins!" came a sing-song male's voice from outside.

She groaned. So last night really happened. The merman and the thunderstorm…and the conversation…

"No…" she moaned, rubbing her face with her hands. An expression of horror flicked across her face.

Nevertheless, she tumbled out of her bed and walked down the hall, grabbing her handy dandy baseball bat to ward off creepers, and opened the front door.

There, beached on the sand, was Kíli. He was propped up on his elbows while his tail curled lazily above him. A small woven basket was next to him. He looked up at her with a smile.

"Good morning, Ms. Boggins!"

Stepping outside in a daze—still holding the baseball bat—she walked towards him. It was far too early in the morning to be dealing with something like this.

He frowned. "What's with the weapon?"

She looked from him to the baseball bat and then back at the merman again.

"Taking precautions."

He looked a tad hurt. "Oh."

"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly. "I thought you told me to forget about you."

Kíli grinned guiltily. "I know, but I had to thank you again. I could've lost my fin last night…so I brought you breakfast!"

His right arm reached out and lifted the basket that was next to him.

"My amâd made it, so it must be good!"

Bella blinked sleepily. "Your…?"

"My mother." He explained.

"So you have a family?"

"Since you already know me, I guess I can explain to you. Sit."

She dazedly walked up to him, before siting cross legged. He grinned even wider and reached into the basket and doled out the food. Bella glared suspiciously at the sandwich that was made of seaweed and fish.

"It's really good, I promise." Kíli said, before eating one himself.

She took a cautious bite. And then ate it all. It truly was good…for fish food.

So while they ate, Kíli told her a bit about his family and a few other merfolk.

"But that's about all I can tell you." He said, but his brows furrowed as if he made a decision. "We merfolk tend to be a secretive around landwellers as possible."

"Oh."

"But if, you don't mind…my family may need your help." The merman admitted.

Bella looked up from her fifth sandwich with surprise. "You need my help?"

"Yes," Kíli nodded.

"What would you need _my _help with?" She asked bewildered.

He smirked at her, before backing away. "Guess you'll find out tonight."

"Wait? Tonight?" Bella demanded, alarmed. "Kíli, what's going to happen tonight?"

The merman smirked. "Just be prepared to meet my kin. And make food. Lots of it."

With that, he back flipped—again in a very dolphinesque manner—before disappearing into the water.

Bella stared at the water wide eyed with a sandwich still in her hand and the basket by her side.

"Christ, what did I just get myself into?"

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**_A/N: So I saw these pictures of a merman Thorin and I read the story that belonged to it on An Archive of Our_ Own_ and I simply could not resist giving a go at my own Mermaid Au Bagginshield story. So what do you guys think? Oh, and Bella's personality is going to be based off of John Watson's personality from Sherlock-if you haven't noticed already. _**

**_Please Review! I love criticism and advice!_**


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: hi guys, it's me. Sorry about the long wait for the update, I had lost inspiration for this story and I didn't really have an idea where it was going. Well, as you can see from the title change and the summary change, I did! This story is actually going to be pretty sweet. So, hope you enjoy my Bagginshield-y twist on this. And, oh yes, __**I AM JACKING UP CANON**. Pretty sure by the time I am done, it will be pretty, divergent sooooo, don't expect a word for word translation of Modern AU hobbit. Alright all done. If you read that long A/N, then kudos to you! Ciao! _

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**Chapter 2: Pain of Espionage**

Bella looked at the food in her fridge.

"Do merfolk eat pork?" She wondered aloud, rummaging through her food stuffs. "Can't imagine why not…they're people right?"

She winced. _People of a sort._

"Well, at least I know they eat fish." And then she paused. "Why does that feel like cannibalism?"

With a shrug, Bella closed the fridge door. On her kitchen table were three bags of broccoli, two bags of potatoes, a canister of tuna, a slab of ham, and a carton of eggs. Right. If she remembered what Kíli had told her of his family…then, it would be him, his brother, his mother and his uncle.

_And me._ She grumbled. The food on the table should be plenty.

Bella scratched the back of her head thoughtfully. "But he told me to make a lot of food…Wait! Why am I even doing this?"

With a frustration groan, she leaned forward on the table.

"I'm making dinner, for merpeople. I making dinner…for merpeople." She repeated, trying to convince herself.

Nope.

"I must be going insane." Bella told herself, remembering a conversation she had held with her cousin and his wife.

_"Honestly Bella, you stay cooped up in your house like a hermit!" Drogo laughed loudly._

_ Bella huffed. "I do not, thank you very much. I go out to town all the time, especially when I go to meet my editor."_

_ "Ah yes, Gandalf, the Wiz of Writing." Primula chuckled. "Who named him the 'Wiz of Writing', anyways?"_

_ Bella shrugged. "Dunno, perhaps it's self-proclaimed. With his kind of money, I would not be surprised if he could get away with it."_

_ Drogo snorted. "Dear cousin, is that what you hope for? To be a self-proclaimed wiz?"_

_ "Of course not." Bella laughed. "I just want to be able to live in peace with my books."_

_ "Oh Bella," Primula sighed wistfully. "The world is so big! Why, you'll find that it's not in any of your books. The greatest adventure is right outside your doorstep."_

_ Bella hummed, amused. "Why Prim, you step out the door and I'll write the adventure."_

_ She had no intention of ending up like her mother and her father. The two had shared one adventure together. And it had gotten them killed._

_ Drogo sighed and gave her a teasing smile. "With the amount of time you spend writing, Bella, I wouldn't be surprised if you began to think your story characters were real."_

_ That made Primula laugh._

_ Bella frowned. "I would not."_

Coming back to reality from her reverie, Bella bit her finger nails nervously.

"What if I've reached tipping point?" She squeaked nervously. "What if…these are really book characters or something and I've truly begun to lose my mind? Next thing I know, people will be calling me Mad Bella Baggins."

She snorted. She wouldn't be surprised if they already did. The other Baggins and assorted family members were not too keen with her parentage. With her father, Billy 'Bungo' Baggins, they were fine with. Loved him to a fault, even. But her mother, Belladonna Took, they were not pleased by.

"Well," Bella sighed with a small smirk. "If I'm going into insanity, I might as well embrace it."

With a skip in her step she shoved everything back into the fridge and began to walk out of her house, keys in hand. She was going to make a proper dinner. A feast fit for all the merfolk of the blasted Seven Seas.

She grinned as she walked out the door and around to the back of her house where her bicycle was. Oh yes, Mad Bella Baggins indeed.

Grabbing her bicycle by the handle bars, she walked it up the beach walk and out of the sparse grass in the sand. Once the front and back wheels hit the concrete, she jumped on and rode towards town.

Humming to herself as she cycled along, gave her time to think. Quite frankly she had a lot on her mind. Mermaids, for one, had been "proven" to exist.

_Mermen._ She automatically corrected herself. _Mermaids are the females._

If she was going to accept her mental breakdown, she was going to be technical. She wanted to get things right and not offend her imaginary friend.

Taking a left, she turned into the main market of Hobbiton. Bella smiled. Hobbiton was a quaint town, with nothing big or flashy—just a small town by the sea. There were a good deal of farms about five miles out from the town, in the county of the Shire. It added to the simple place, giving it a rustic vibe.

Bella was fond of the place.

"Good morning, Miss Baggins!" Someone shouted.

She looked to the right to see her friend Hamfast Gamgee outside of the grocery store, washing the windows.

"Oh, Ham! Hi yes, hullo Hamfast." She greeted, turning in front of the store and dismounting from her bike. She leaned it against the store wall. "How's your Gaffer?"

"Oh my Pa's fine, ma'am." Hamfast grinned, wringing his washcloth. "How are you doin', if you don' mind me askin' that is? Quite a storm we had last night?"

She flinched, remembering Kíli trapped in the fishing net. She rubbed her aching wrists—which she had wrapped—subconsciously.

"Hm, yes it was quite a storm, wasn't it?" Bella laughed. "But not to worry. Nothing eventful happened."

_Liar._

"Writin' were you?" Hamfast chuckled.

"Yes…or trying to." She answered truthfully.

"Oh?" He gave her a questioning look.

"Writer's block."

"Ah, a bane to all authors I presume?"

"Yes. It is just dreadful." Bella said with a dramatic shake of her head. "Quite dreadful."

Hamfast cocked an eyebrow while chuckling. "You're a strange one, Ms. Baggins—but enjoyable company nonetheless."

_Mad Bella Baggins._

"Oh!" He piped up suddenly. "Gandalf popped by for a bit, left a note for you. Said it was something rather important."

"Did he?" Bella question, eyes widening.

"Umhm. Left it with my Gaffer he did."

She nodded and opened the door to the store. "Thank you Ham."

"Not a problem, Miss Baggins."

With that she entered the small food mart. Grabbing a carrying basket that was by the door, she walked up to the counter. Hamfast's father, simply known as the Gaffer, smiled up at her.

"Good morning, Miss Bella."

"Yes, it is." She nodded. "How are you Gaffer?"

He gave a wheezing chuckle. "My saltwater rusted bones are aching, my eyesight is failing, and I can hardly smell the fish that comes in daily. I'd say I'd be doing quite fine, Miss Bella."

She laughed.

"Gandalf left something for you." The Gaffer said, reaching down under the counter.

"Ah yes, Hamfast told me." Bella nodded.

The Gaffer, pulled his arm out from under the counter and handed her a wax sealed envelope. She chuckled. Only Gandalf would seal an envelope with authentic wax and crested seal.

"He said not to open it 'til you got home." The Gaffer informed.

"Right." Bella nodded, shoving it into her pocket.

"Anything else you here for?" The old man asked.

The girl hummed. "Yes, I'm here for five pounds of fish."

The Gaffer blinked, astonished. "F-f-five pounds?"

"Yes."

"But you don't even like fish!"

"I like it a little."

The Gaffer got grumpy. "Tis an odd craving you're having."

"Just woke up and wanted fish." She chirped merrily. Why was lying coming to her so easily? Could it possibly have to do with her mother's previous occupation…Nah.

"Bella," he said in a tone just below a whisper. "You haven't gotten yourself 'knocked up', as the younger folk say, now have you?"

Bella recoiled immediately. "Gaffer! How could you even—I'm not even married!"

"Jus' askin'." He grumbled. "My wife craved a bunch of ridiculous things when she was pregnant Hamfast."

She face-palmed. "Gaffer, you're not really supposed to eat seafood when pregnant."

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

"Huh, didn' know that. Mary never told me."

"Well good thing you know now." Bella groaned.

"Right, yes." He huffed, extremely embarrassed.

"So… are you going to give me the fish or am I going to have to go straight to the docks?"

"With all those barbaric sailors? Not a chance! What type of fish are you looking for today, missy?"

§

Bella wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Three hours of cooking. Three whole hours of cleaning, sautéing, filleting, and frying fish. She went over to the sink and tried to stop herself from shuddering as she washed the fish slime from her chopping board and knives.

Placing those in a drying rack, she walked over to her stove and pulled the hard-boiled eggs off. She hoped merpeople liked eating eggs. She'd accidently cooked her whole carton. With a nod, she pulled them out and put them in a bowl to cool. Then she pulled a rather large salad from her fridge and set it out on the table as well. Then it hit her.

How was she going to feed them? The merfolk couldn't just walk up and join her at the dining table. So how on earth was she supposed to give them food?

Baskets!

"Kíli used a basket this morning when he brought me breakfast." She murmured. "Perhaps, they can just eat on the shore."

So with the new idea in mind, Bella began to pull out every picnic basket she owned—which was quite a lot. God knows her family loves to have picnics. Which would explain her talent for cooking.

A little ding rang across the kitchen and the smell of baked goods filled the room. With a smile, Bella skipped to the oven and pulled the door open. Inside, the oven was practically filled with muffins of every variety. She reached forwards to pull the trays out, when she heard a crunch. Reaching into her pocket, she fingered the letter that the Gaffer had given her.

"Ah, right." She drawled, "Well, maybe while these are cooling, I can read."

Pressing the off button on the oven, Bella walked over to the counter and pulled up a chair. Then, she pulled out the envelope from her pocket. Opening it, she found that inside was a letter, and then another envelope—one with her name in a fancier cursive. She instantly recognized the penmanship.

"Mom."

Taking both out, she stared at the browned paper with her mother's handwriting. Turning it over in circles she found that it didn't weigh much at all. She wanted to know what was in the parchment. Her mother's secrets?

_Better read Gandalf's letter, before I open mom's._

Putting the old envelope down, she opened her editor's letter first.

_My Dear Isabella Baggins,_

_ Something has come up this past week. A friend of mine—royalty—if you can believe it or not, has taken on a task that he will greatly need my help with. And as you know, I am not just your editor but your protector as well. Your mother's previous job left you at terrible risks, as you know, and I am here to protect you. Where I am going, I will not be able to keep tabs on you as I have. So until I return, you are on no accounts to leave Hobbiton. The trouble your mother and father churned up before they left is still fresh and the people they angered are still looking for you._

_ If at all possible, stay home and stay safe. I will return as soon as I can._

_~Gandalf_

_p.s. The letter is your mother's. If you are in need of any equipment to keep you safe, those are her directions. I thought it was the best precautionary._

Bella's hands shook as her fingers crumpled Gandalf's letter. Of course he had to remind her on how high the danger alert for her was. With a harsh sigh, she set her editor's letter down. Reaching into the other letter, she drew out the paper with her mother's delicate writing. She sniffled, not sure whether or not to unfold the piece for paper. Then shaking her head, she slowly drew open the folded flaps of the sheet. Her hazel eyes skimmed the writing before looking in depth at the words.

_Hello Bella,_

_ If you're reading this letter than an incident has surely happened and Gandalf deemed it appropriate for you to read it. I'm very glad you've completed your training darling, because for sure there are people you need to be aware of. I know, this life that we live is not an ideal one for you to live in. I mean, at the current time that I am writing this letter, you are only eighteen. The life that I have forced you and your father into is a hard one—and I am sorry. But the two of you have made every struggle in my life worth everything._

_ But now, something must've happened._

_ I need you, Bella, to be safe. I have friends but I also have many enemies. Stay away from Greenwood. That agency—as you know—has been trying to tap me on their radar for the longest time, as has Torchwood. But Greenwood has tried to kill me several times. And being that you are reading this letter, they might be after you as well. Be safe. Practice training, and make sure to clean those Glock 23s that I bought you. You will more than likely need them for any trouble that you run into._

_ As for anything else, you can find them in the garage. The code is the combination of the month your father was born in and the day that I was born on. I know, your father and I had forbid you to go into there, but…it may be that now is the time for you to find out exactly what I did. I wasn't just an adventuress. I was something else. Someone that helped particular groups to stay hidden and to keep hidden. This is why you are in danger—not because of…well, you know._

_ I love you my dear Bella. Please, please, be safe my darling. Keep an eye on the sky, and an eye on the sea. Be wary. _

_~ Mum_

Bella choked on a sob. She lifted her hand to cover her mouth. No. She was going to destroy that letter. She gave up the life that her mother had set for them. She had stopped fighting. She only practiced shooting once a month. She had to go around using her pen name whenever she left Hobbiton. And it was all because of her mother's adventures.

Sniffling, Bella crumpled up the paper and slammed it on the counter. Getting up, she pulled the now cool muffins from the oven and set them on the counter top, just barely avoiding the wrinkled paper. And then she stopped.

Her mother said the password to the garage. Bella hadn't ever been in her mother's part of the garage. That was strictly off limits to her because it was where her mother stashed all of her work things. Biting her nails, before nodding, Bella ran out of the kitchen and outside to the garage.

The sun blinked happily down upon her as she approached the keypad. There was no turning back from here if she opened the garage, who knew what sort of top secret things she would find. And she would be having guests over for dinner anyways! What sort of host would leave guests on their own while she rooted around her mother's things?

_Your guests are mermen._ She reminded herself. _Right._

So her mom's letter, mermen, and Gandalf's sudden disappearance to help a "royal" friend were all happening at the same time. For some reason, that sounded highly suspicious. Growling, she stormed away from the garage. Later, she promised herself. After her guest had all but gone away, she would look to see what was in the garage. Her mom's home office.

Bella shivered, remembering the day her parents had left and never come back.

_Belladonna stood at the doorway, her blue jumpsuit tight and fitting her curved body in every way. Four holsters rested on her hips with guns loaded and ready. The auburn haired woman looked down upon her daughter with a frown on her face but tears in her eyes. She swooped down and embraced the nineteen year old._

_ "I love you, Bella." Her mother whispered._

_ "Mom, you can't go alone." The younger cried._

_ "She's not going alone."_

_ Bella looked up to see her father wearing his normal outfit of jeans and a plaid shirt. His dark curly hair was covered by a baseball cap. He was wearing dark shades, his fishing knife hung snugly on his belt, and his fishing satchel rested against his side. Bella's chest tightened as she saw them. _

_ They were both leaving._

_ "You're going too?"_

_ "It's to keep you safe, Bella." Bungo answered quietly, his kind hearted self not use to anything like this. _

_ He reached over to the wall and picked up his tan coat. He handed it to his wife. She took it and put it on; the article covering her up down to her ankles where her slick black boots poked through. Bella's tears began to stream harder down her face._

_ "Greenwood has threatened all of us." Bungo said. "I don't want them hurting you."_

_ "But you're not an assassin like mom!" Bella wailed clinging onto his shirt._

_ Belladonna flinched, as if that statement hurt. "I'm not…not an assassin, Bella."_

_ The younger girl looked up at her mother fiercely. "You've killed people."_

_ "Only because they were trying to kill me!"_

_ "Because you were doing things you shouldn't have."_

_ "Bella," her mother snapped, pulling the girl away from her father. "There are things that I've learned on my adventures. Things that when in the wrong hands, could be very bad. Greenwood wants that information and will do anything to get it. Even hurt you. Your father and I are going to Greenwood to destroy their databases. If we do that, then we can live with a peace of mind. We can erase Belladonna Took from their systems and I will never be on red alert again. You have to trust us."_

_ "What if you never come back?" The nineteen year old cried._

_ "I can't promise you that we will come back." Bungo said quietly, his voice forlorn. "But we have to do this, for you."_

_ The teenager dipped her head._

_ Belladonna lifted her daughter's chin with her finger. She looked her daughter in the eyes, the two pairs of hazel eyes clashing with the other. The mother reached up and unclasped a necklace from her neck. A tiny jewel hung from the gold chain. It glittered and sparkled brilliantly, and on the inside it seemed to move. It seemed to sing._

_ "What is it?" Bella asked, her voice shaky._

_ "I don't know." Her mother admitted. "It's a fragment of a much larger jewel. Greenwood was looking for it—the bigger piece—so I took this, so they couldn't find the other. Keep it secret and keep it safe for me. When we come home, you can give it to me."_

_ Belladonna's smile was broken. What she said was the closest thing she could promise her daughter. They may very well return, but they may not. _

_ Bella reached out and grabbed the necklace. With trembling fingers she clasped the little golden chain around own neck. Her mother and father looked at her with pride before they both drew her in for a tight embrace. _

Bella opened her eyes and stormed back to her house. She would get ready for her strange guests. She would make sure that they would be happy. She would set a picnic out for them on the dock. The mermen-slash-mermaids could eat there. Bella Baggins would not look inside the garage. She would not try to remember that she had hid the little jewel necklace in a box.

And she would not follow her mother's footsteps.

With a deep sigh, Bella Baggins began to gather up all her picnic baskets. It was time to start setting up for Kíli and his family.

* * *

_Thank you to Roses, XxXSmiles101XxX, Moonpie, and randomkitty101 for all reviewing. See y'all next update!_

_Please Read and Review!_


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